MILLBURN – Gov. Chris Chistie may have killed the Hudson River rail tunnel, but some Millburn officials want to try and resuscitate it.

Township Committee member Jim Suell wants the governing body to be the first town in the state to pass a resolution in support of the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) Tunnel.

Suell proposed the resolution at the Oct. 26 Township Committee session. Suell said that three years ago the head of the project came to Millburn to give a presentation about the tunnel at the Millburn Library. He told the audience that the tunnel would reduce the commute into Penn Station by 10 minutes a day.

The tunnel would also give a boost to real estate values, Suell said. He estimated that the value of homes within walking distance to the train would go up by approximately $29,000 to $39,000 and having the tunnel would bring in an estimated $375 million a year in extra tax revenues. The tunnel would also bring new residents into the community, he added.

Suell said he wanted the committee to approve a resolution asking the governor to reconsider his position on the tunnel. The resolution could also be submitted to other towns along the train line for their support, he said.

Committee member Sandy Haimoff said she was concerned about potential cost over-runs that New Jersey residents would have to fund. She said that although she is in favor of the tunnel, she has a great deal of difficulty in “signing a blank check.”

Haimoff said that the timing was premature to draft a resolution. Her sentiments about cost over-runs were seconded by Committee member Bob Tillotson and Mayor Tom McDermott, but they all agreed to table the resolution until Nov. 9 when they will review a revised resolution that Suell agreed to craft.